Biden: DeSantis’ Response to Hurricane Ian is ‘Pretty Remarkable,’ Blames Climate Change for Storm

FORT MYERS (FLV) – As Gov. Ron DeSantis and President Joe Biden met in Fort Myers, which was battered by Hurricane Ian, the two had kind remarks on the cooperation between the Florida and federal government.

“What the governor’s done is pretty remarkable,” Biden said, motioning to a smiling DeSantis.

DeSantis has described his response to Ian as ‘herculean,’ with droves of linemen, first responder teams, helicopter rescues, debris removal, swift emergency repair, and more.

“We are cutting through the bureaucracy, we are cutting through the red tape. And that’s from local government, state government, all the way up to the president. So, we appreciate the team effort. This is something that is – these storms come, they’re on the horizon,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do… The spirit of the people of this state and Southwest Florida has been phenomenal.”

Biden’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), directed by Deanne Criswell, was heavily involved in the response to Ian and assured Floridians disaster relief aid would go to all communities regardless of race, rebuking Vice President Kamala Harris’ ‘equity’ remarks.

The president declared a major disaster in Florida to open up avenues for federal assistance, amending it on Oct. 5 to increase federal funding for debris removal and protective measures.

“Under the President’s major disaster declaration issued for the State of Florida on September 29, 2022, Federal funding was made available for debris removal and emergency protective measures, including direct Federal assistance, at 100 percent of the total eligible costs for a period of 30 days from the start of the incident period,” the White House said.

Biden took the opportunity to promote a climate change agenda, a point of disagreement between Republicans and Democrats.

“I think the one thing this has finally ended is the discussion about whether or not there’s climate change and if we should do something about it,” Biden said.